Published: 09:40, September 21, 2024
China's Bu reaches quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Tennis Open
By Xinhua
Bu Yunchaokete of China returns against Casper Ruud of Norway during their Men's Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug 26, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (PHOTO / AFP)

HANGZHOU - Promising young Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete advanced to the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour event for the first time after a stunning upset of second-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, securing a 2-1 victory in the second round of the ATP 250 Hangzhou Tennis Open on Friday.

Bu began the first set trailing 1-3 but showed great resilience, pushing the set into a tie-break, in which he won 9-7. Khachanov responded strongly in the second set, leveling the match with a 6-4 win. In the decisive third set, Bu broke serve early and maintained his lead, eventually claiming the set 6-3.

Although born in Xinjiang, Bu has been training in Zhejiang province since childhood, prompting him to call Hangzhou his "home" in post-match interviews: "I've been competing quite frequently lately and feel quite tired, but it's great to play in my home city. I hope to showcase my best performance here."

READ MORE: China's Zhang, Bu advance to second round of Hangzhou Tennis Open

Bu will face Kazakh player Mikhail Kukushkin in the quarterfinals. The 36-year-old veteran advanced by defeating his compatriot Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 7-6.